Dead weight is the difference between which two displacement measurements?

• A. Light displacement and max loaded displacement
• B. Light displacement and loaded displacement
• C. Gross ton and net ton
• D. Loaded displacement and stability

Answer: (A)

Dead weight is the cargo-carrying capacity of a vessel. In displacement terms, it’s the weight the ship can add beyond its light ship weight to reach its fully loaded condition. So the difference is between the ship’s light displacement and its loaded (max loaded) displacement.

For example, if the light displacement is 9,000 metric tons and the max loaded displacement is 14,000 metric tons, the dead weight is 5,000 metric tons. This concept is about how much additional weight the hull can carry, including cargo, fuel, supplies, and crew, rather than about volume or stability. The other options don’t fit because gross ton and net ton are volume-based measures, while stability relates to how the ship behaves in the water, not a weight difference.